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This camera explores 100km2 of Mars at a time

This article was first published in the July 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online

Last year, Nasa's Opportunity rover set the off-world driving record at 40.25km after ten years on Mars. The HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera that took this picture of the planet's Proctor Crater, however, is exploring it 100km2 at a time. "We see the whole planet," says Alfred McEwen, the University of Arizona professor who heads the research project. "The rovers just see one small area – all the distance Opportunity has travelled would fit in one HiRISE image."

Armed with the largest reflecting telescope to be sent on a deep space mission, the camera takes 11 photos a day at 30cm per pixel resolution. And it may have found water: pictures have shown recurring slope lineæ – deep markings on the planet's surface. "It's difficult to come up with another explanation for these features," says McEwen. "Water is the best candidate."

This article was first published in the July 2015 issue of WIRED magazine